Jennifer Mastroianni: It’s always nice to have some ready-to-go dips this time of year.

You might be tempted by Kraft’s gourmet microwaveable cheese dips. Oh, they’ll be calling out to you all right. With enticing flavors of Parmesan Asiago & Romano with Garlic and Herbs, and Feta & Spinach, you definitely will be tempted to reach right into that refrigerated supermarket case and grab one.

Keep walking.

This dip did not taste gourmet, it tasted processed. And at $3.99, you can put the money toward ingredients to make your own hot dip. Try this one for Hot Bacon and Cheese Dip:

Jim Hillibish: There’s no Kraft logo or mention of the cheese giant on the package, and the distributor is Churny Co. in Wisconsin. The only tip-off is the fine trademark print, “Kraft Foods.”

Still, they obviously wanted to maintain the fancy, not the Cheese Whiz, ambiance.

Marketing aside, this is an excellent product, fine enough to grace any holiday appetizer layout.

It’s made of soft cream cheese loaded with white chedder, mozzarella, pepper spices and garlic that turn into a creamy lava flow after 45 seconds in the microwave. Cold, it’s average. The heat is not to be missed.

It’s good as is, but I added 2 tablespoons of dry, white wine and came up with an excellent fondue that was a hit.

I’m tempted to try my own, but it’s all too easy to open the plastic container and spoon it into a crystal server. Your guests may ask, “Who made this?”

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